Lewis Hamilton decided not to use Ferrari’s simulator before Canadá’s Grande Prêmio after a difficult weekend in Miami. The 41-year-old Brit reported that the tool was misleading him into car setup decisions, leading him to adopt an “old school” approach to the weekend in Montreal.
The strategy worked. Hamilton finished second in Canadá, his best result with the Italian team, and outperformed Charles Leclerc in all 6 qualifying segments, including Sprint and Grande Prêmio. The performance impressed observers and revived the debate about the relevance of modern simulators in elite motorsport.
Correlação imperfect between simulator and real track
Jolyon Palmer, commentator on the F1 Nation podcast, supports Hamilton’s decision. Segundo Palmer, the benefits of the simulator are “negligible”, especially considering that the technology is still adjusting to new regulations in 2026. The lack of accurate correlation between the simulator and the real world represents a significant obstacle.
Palmer explains that young pilots spend a lot of time in simulators, but the correlation remains problematic with updated regulations. New ways of driving and using energy around the world are constantly changing, day after day. Sem a perfect correlation, plug and play on Friday becomes ineffective, especially when the track is dirty and evolving in multiple directions with changing wind directions.
Hamilton has accumulated 385 starts in his career — the second-highest number of starts in the history of Fórmula 1. With almost 20 years of experience in the sport, his muscle memory and understanding of what the car needs eliminates the need for a simulation tool.
Michael Schumacher has never been a fan of technology
Michael Schumacher, legend of Ferrari, shares similar reservations about simulators. Durante his time with the Italian team, Schumacher rarely used the simulator. Quando returned to Mercedes, the technology had evolved — and it made him sick, forcing him to stop using it.
“As I understand, there are some other top teams that have a simulator, but make very little use of it,” stated Schumacher during his time with Silver Arrows. “For us drivers, the main benefit would be getting used to a track. But for me personally, that has never been a problem. Não I see their big advantage.”
Palmer recalled Schumacher’s history with technology. “Schumi never liked simulators, right?” Schumacher experienced nausea and did not feel the need to use it extensively. The seven-time world champion’s stance set a precedent that Hamilton now follows.
Hamilton defends traditional approach
In the post-race press conference on Sunday, Hamilton pointed out that he did not need a simulator to win six world titles with Mercedes. Sua philosophy does not align with dependence on advanced digital tools.
“There are just too many risks,” he explained. “If you look at the two best races I’ve run, I didn’t use the simulator. And that’s honestly how it was. Praticamente in all the previous championships, except probably 2008, I didn’t use the simulation. Então is not a necessity. It’s a tool that can be powerful. But for me, I’m old school. Provavelmente I’m better without it.”
The statement highlights that Hamilton won his first championships without relying on simulators. Technology was less developed and less accessible at that time. Mesmo with superior technological features currently available in Ferrari, the pilot opts for traditional methods.
Perspectiva different between teammates
Charles Leclerc continues to use Ferrari’s simulator regularly. Palmer highlighted this divergence of approaches within the same team. “I think everyone has their own method,” said the commentator. “Charles is still using the simulator, so he’s not on the same page.”
The issue raises questions about driver development and personal style. Younger Pilotos, like Leclerc, rely on simulators to optimize configurations and learn circuits. Pilotos veterans, like Hamilton and Schumacher before him, did without the tool without sacrificing performance — and sometimes got better results without it.
Palmer suggested that the real value of the simulator may lie in the feedback from the driver to the team. “The value would probably be more on the Ferrari side to get their feedback, to improve configuration, correlation and improve the simulator further. Eles has development pilots who do a lot of this work. Esse is the development pilots’ point.”
Recent Performances reinforces choice of Hamilton
Grande Prêmio’s Canadá numbers speak for themselves. Hamilton achieved his best result with Ferrari in just his fifth race for the team. The performance showed that his alternative approach to the simulator did not harm his performance — on the contrary, it may have benefited him.
The result also placed Hamilton ahead of Leclerc in the qualification segments, suggesting that its differentiated strategy offers measurable practical advantages. Feedback from Hamilton after Montreal confirmed his confidence in the old school approach, rejecting modern tools in favor of intuition developed over two decades of professional experience.
